Having a really hard time deciding...

which Couples resort to go to in October. I was leaning towards CN because of the beautiful beaches, but CTI and CSS are a bit less expensive and have private beaches. They also include the Dunn's River Falls tour and horseback riding, which we would like to do. My main concerns about CTI and CSS are the beaches. Are the sea and sand as beautiful there as they are in Negril? The rooms look very nice at CSS, and I like that they include minibars and room service for all levels. I have been researching here and on Trip Advisor and am just overwhelmed with all of the information! Any tips or words of advice? Thank you!

I am a beach person and we love CN's beach. It feels private because there are only a few resorts in this bay. There is not a lot of foot traffic and it is SO relaxing. I think the rooms at CN are not as nice as CSS but we love the cool Jamaicaan feel of the CN rooms-bright vivid colors and unlike any place you have ever been. We are going back to CN for our 6th trip. Enough said.

We just got back from our first Couples experience at CSS. The beach is pretty small. I have not been to CTI so I can't comment on that. CSS would not be my first choice if I was looking for a nice beach. It's just a little small.

No, not even close. It's not about the Couples resorts, it's just the difference in areas across the Island...there are some gorgeous beaches in Jamaica, with NO hotels....you can always take an excursion and see some other areas.

which Couples resort to go to in October. I was leaning towards CN because of the beautiful beaches, but CTI and CSS are a bit less expensive and have private beaches. They also include the Dunn's River Falls tour and horseback riding, which we would like to do. My main concerns about CTI and CSS are the beaches. Are the sea and sand as beautiful there as they are in Negril? The rooms look very nice at CSS, and I like that they include minibars and room service for all levels. I have been researching here and on Trip Advisor and am just overwhelmed with all of the information! Any tips or words of advice? Thank you!

Lauren

There are pro's and cons of each resort but I can guarantee you that you will have a spectacular time at either. We've been to CN 5 x in a row and last year went to CSS for our first time - we loved it and it plan to return. The resorts are completely different yet both are spectacular. If it's large beaches with soft sand then go to Negril - if off resort activities are your thing then go to CSS. We enjoyed SSB much better than CN's nude beach so if that's your thing then CSS is your resort. You won't be disappointed with any Couples resort.

Hi Lauren!
We had a difficult time deciding for our first trip in April. We ended up going with CSS. We liked CN but it was completely booked for the time we wanted to go, so it was either CSS or CTI. We liked CSS because of the seclusion and the pools/area looked better (more shade).
Good luck deciding! I'm sure you wouldn't be disappointed with any of the couples resorts.

Beaches at CSS

I can speak for the texture of the beach at CSS. The texture of the sand is very course!! The feet get a bit soar the first couple days. But that being said the view and the scenery more than make up for that. We have been to Jamaica twice and will be returning a third time Nov 2010 to CSA. We have also booked CN for Nov 2012. Feel we should try all the resorts before deciding on our HOME! The spa experience at CSS was the best I have ever experienced. The dive team was also a great asset for CSS. We had our first dive experience there and because of them we have decided to become certified before returning to Jamaica. ENJOY

We have been to CN, Tower Isle and CSS and of all of them we prefer CSS. Each have their own personality.

CN has great beaches and it was nice to be able to walk the beach but it was so big that at times it felt very impersonable. The service was just so so. We enjoy the AuNatural aspect but never went at CN because it was so out in the open and not very intimte.

Tower Isle is too retro for us. Does not look like a Jamaican resort. Looks the a very modern hotel that you would see in NY. If you like the AuNatural aspect, the island is very small and the pool is very very small. Not much going on out there. Again a very large resort not very intimate.

CSS is more into romance. It is a very intimate resort. The service is outstanding, the rooms are wonderful, the AuNatural Beach was very nice. The resort is smaller than the other so it was much easier to meet people. I just felt so much at home. Most of the time you had the same servers at your meals so they got to know your needs and they would greet you like long lost friends. We were just so pampered at CSS that we truely had no worries.

I just can't say enough about CSS. We don't usually do the same resort we like to try something different but we were not back from our trip to CSS for more than a week that we booked it again for the following year. There was no hesitation it was were we wanted to be.

Good luck in making your choice but as long as it is a Couples Resort I don't think you can go wrong. We made the mistake of going to another Jamaican All Inclusive one year and we won't make that mistake again.

It's your vacation and you have book based on your needs. You will find that one of the resorts keeps "calling" you back and that will be the resort you book. That said, we have been to CTI 3 times and visited CSS for a Trading Spaces. We love that CTI is compact (not a spread out) We like the intimacy of the AN island and no I don't mean that "kind" of intimacy. Some of the nicest people we have met were on the island. We like the natural shade provided on the beach and pool provided by the palms. We like that there is no jet ski traffic, no vendors walking the beach and no guests from other resorts. One thing that bothered us at CSS on SSB (the AN beach) was that just across the river, where the fishing boats were coming and going, was a public beach with families. So we stuck to the pool as it was more private. We get incredible service at CTI. Everything has recently been renovated or completely redone and it has an art deco, South Miami, feel with the cool colors of aquas and white.The swim up bar and pool and is all new, the rooms in the new wing are all new, the bathrooms have all been renovated, the restaurants have all been renovated, the main lobby has all been redone, as well as a new pool grill & internet cafe.We too have tried three other Jamaican A/I's and found ourselves back at CTI.

Thank you to everyone who has replied. I think we are going to go with CTI, but now we're trying to decide whether to get a superior ocean room or a garden jr. suite. We would like to have the minibar, but I don't know if it's worth trading that for an ocean view (can't afford the ocean view jr. suite). Either way, we are really looking forward to experiencing Couples!

Thank you to everyone who has replied. I think we are going to go with CTI, but now we're trying to decide whether to get a superior ocean room or a garden jr. suite. We would like to have the minibar, but I don't know if it's worth trading that for an ocean view (can't afford the ocean view jr. suite). Either way, we are really looking forward to experiencing Couples!

If you don't want to spend the money for the suite, go with a Deluxe Ocean instead. The superior ocean view is of the side bay not the beach and island because the building sits at an angle. Does that make sense? We've stayed in rooms with mini bars and without and since we're hardly in the room, we don't miss it and usually book the Deluxe. Just our experience. I can email you the CTI map if you want to see the buildings (amy.welch@Hotmail.com).

Have you considered CSA? The beach area in front of the Great House is fairly large, but narrows as you go towards the scuba shack. Considering the beach bar service, you can't go wrong anywhere on this beach!